Yet another case of where my hopes & wishes were sky-high, but where they were plummeting pretty…read moresoon... Let me elaborate: I've seen this place buzzing with activity - one time I tried to get a table for myself (on a Tuesday night), but it was all full! Tutti booky! In addition to this hype, I read a Time Out article and some other pretty promising reviews that were hanging outside the restaurant. All that, made me think to myself: this must be THE place in Archway! Well, last night, before the Harry Potter movie, it was time to put it all to the test and my verdict is a: Meh. I've experienced better! The bread selection was nice, but we had to ask for the olive oil-balsamic vinegar. Both my +1 and I chose a vegetarian entrée (tagliattelle with vegetable & ravioli with lemon-ricotta), but both of them were not really rocking the boat...it was tasty enough, but I feel that could've just whipped up the same at home. Maybe this was all aggravated by the fact that I had just recently returned from Italy and had experienced what real Italian food is supposed to taste like? The service was also not on par with my expectations: I know it's a cheezy stereotype, but in an Italian restaurant, I want to be served by smiling & "singing" waiters and that just didn't happen. The waiters were attentive, but just not very forthcoming Nevertheless, this place seems to very popular with the local crowd, as some of the guests were greeted as returning guests. Maybe I need to come back to receive the same warmth of attention? Maybe...but not for a while...

What a little gemmy gem gem around the corner of my old flat. Definitely a star amidst the…read moreslightly grimey, but dubbed as "colorful" area of Archway, north London. A lovely breadbasket with the complimentary balsamic and EVOO, that seals the deal right there. A good breadbasket, EASY..come on people get that right! I've had the rabbit (coniglio) THRICE, as well as the seafood linguine and both have been stupendous. Nothing complicated or pretentious, just fresh Italian food at its finest. People forget how amazing food tastes in its most natural form, without any molecular gastronomy flair or French-inspired immaculate presentation....I don't mind either of those though, when my wallet feels slightly obese. Portions were awesome, and it's cheaper than chips (by that I mean crisps not fries muahah). But so long were the days when we could walk into this place that only seats about 30 or so, now you have to book a week or two in advance! Good luck yall, it's worth it.

In London with a large group (50+) for a festival, and our welcome dinner was planned and arranged…read moreto be here. It was in walking distance of our hotel (15-20 minutes) and along the Thames. It is on the bank-side of the building that houses the restaurant, which makes it a little difficult to find if you don't know where you are going. You either have to find a weird little walk-through past a skate park...or find some other way around without getting lost, which...can be a struggle. Some in our group opted to Uber/take a taxi and had a really hard time finding the entrance to the restaurant. That aside...there was some sort of misunderstanding or miscommunication and something somewhere went wrong with our reservation. They seemed to have lost or forgotten about our large group reservation, though there was the space for us. There was confusion, our tour guide had a very heated discussion with the staff in Italian and....basically, we knew something went wrong. Particularly when the main dish, at an ITALIAN restaurant, was a subpar cheeseburger with a slice of pepperoni/salami on it. It was most disappointing. But they offered everyone a free glass of house wine as 'apology' (though, those who don't drink don't benefit from this offer...). The appetizer was pretty fantastic...a charcuterie plate with some of the best tapenade I have ever had. But...well, we had several vegetarians in the group and they seemed to have lost that information. They shifted a bit for them, but that primarily mean extra cheese and bread in place of the various meats. I hope they enjoyed their offerings. I will say, the tiramisu at the end of the meal was perfection. It is one of my favorite desserts and this was a fantastic version. I benefited from many in our group already having left to return to the hotel to go to sleep and I got two servings to indulge in. Overall, it was fine. There were issues and confusion outside of my control, as an attendee member of the group and not the planner/organizer/director, and I feel bad that these problems were big enough to have been noticed. But it was fine.

I have to admit I am a real Pizza snob. I worked in the pizza business (met my wife there) and we…read moreare really particular about our pizza. We judge pizza by New York and Boston's North End - so pretty high expectations. The pizza here at Strada was outstanding. Fresh ingredients, perfect crisp crust and a very flavorful sauce. If you love Pizza and are visiting London - I urge you to try Strada. If you live or work in London and haven't tried Strada - don't delay any longer - go get some awesome pizza today. They also have a respectable wine list and a very pleasant staff.

Had lunch at Montpeliano...overall we found it just okay…read more Service was good and food came out quickly. Ambiance is nice...our party of 6 had no problem getting a last minute reservation. Food is just okay, nothing memorable. 1. Seabass was good but needed some salt / lemon. 2. Soup was delicious (sorry I can't remember what kind it was but it was vegan). 3. Other members of our party had a variety of pastas and salads and everyone agreed nothing was really that unique. Prices were okay for the area but I doubt we we'll rush to return.

The culinary gods must have been kind to us that cold day in London when Jamie W. and I found…read moreourselves feeling peckish after being gobsmacked by the exorbitant prices of all the dining options in and around Harrod's in Knightsbridge. I refused to eat at a fast food chain on my vacation even though Jamie was more than willing to detour into a Mickey D's to get that back-home feeling of comfort. We were sauntering about when we came upon this cavernous Italian place looking quite empty in the middle of the afternoon. Although they use white tablecloths and had all sizes of wine glasses on each table, it was a relatively casual spot. Photos of the Rat Pack and Marilyn covered the walls (photo: http://bit.ly/Rhtdqs), which was appropriate since there is an old-school ambiance about the place. They offfer quite a comprehensive menu (photo: http://bit.ly/1ezuiV2). Our meal started with quite a variety of rolls and breads in a basket (photo: http://bit.ly/Ql0mAD) and a plate of big green olives most addicting (photo: http://bit.ly/1m0aolG). I knew Jamie was going to jump on one of their daily specials, the £ 18.50 Pappardelle con Polpettine di Vitello e Tartufo Nero (Pappardelle with Veal Meatballs and Black Truffle), which was a nice, hearty dish that wouldn't have been out of place at our local neighborhood trattoria (photo: http://bit.ly/1p1UV9g). I decided to go for the Set Lunch since it was only £ 17.50 for two courses although the limited choices were a bit too adventurous for Jamie's palate. My starter was the Rigatone Alle Cozze e Burtaga (Rigatoni with Mussels and Roe Burtaga), which I liked even though it was light on sauce (photo: http://bit.ly/1ih8U63). The mussels and chopped tomatoes were plentiful, but it needed some more lubrication to be truly satisfying. My entree was the Fergato Agrodolce (Sweet and Sour Liver), which wasn't a Chinese dish but truly a plate of pan-fried livers in a wine-based sauce that could have benefited from other ingredients like chopped onions or basil (photo: http://bit.ly/1hDWWET). The livers were a bit barren and redundant on their own, but they were tasty all the same. What was nice was that I got an unexpected side of mashed potatoes and sauteed broccoli and snap peas (photo: http://bit.ly/1sZ5GbZ). I also received the dessert of the day, a Panna Cotta with a drizzle of Strawberry Sauce (photo: http://bit.ly/1kPMj42). Not to be left out by my embarrassment of riches, Jamie ordered the £ 5.50 Tiramisu which definitely tasted homemade with just the right sweetness (photo: http://bit.ly/1jDHyGO). As if that wasn't enough, we were also given a plate of mini-biscotti which we had no problem devouring (photo: http://bit.ly/1iLeBpl). So it really isn't a culinary minefield around Harrod's. Give the Montpeliano a go. FOOD - 4 stars...surprisingly tasty Italian fare with the set lunch quite a deal if you're hungry AMBIANCE - 4 stars...quite spacious and very low-key in the late afternoon SERVICE - 4 stars...attentive and accommodating TOTAL - 4 stars...a nice find in Knightsbridge should Italian tickle your fancy

My best friend and I were looking for a place to enjoy a delicious, fresh Italian meal in Richmond…read morewhile we caught up on life updates and strategized our plan for support as she was to run 100 miles the next day in Centurion Running's Thames Path Ultramarathon (TP100). I found Adesso on Yelp, we left our airbnb and were on the move to find it. After finding a place to park, we walked the few blocks over. Immediately we were greeted to be helped and since the inside smelled a little bit like cigarette smoke to us, we opted to keep our jackets on and sit outside in the brisk English air. The waiter who took care of us was incredibly attentive and kind. While he spoke Italian and we spoke English, we made it work and were able to order an amazing meal: garlic bread, burrata (for me, my friend does not love cheese), spaghetti pomodoro and a nicely breaded, thin, perfectly cooked and simple piece of chicken. Then, I finished the evening with a mocha for myself. While we have no science supporting this, we believe this meal was the most perfect fuel for her race the next day - as she completed the 100 miles in under 20 hours, approximately 7 hours before she anticipated she would. Until we find ourselves back in Richmond, we will take with us the fond memory; When we are next in Richmond, Adesso will be our first culinary stop. The excellent service and delicious, fresh, authentic food will not disappoint and we recommend this place to anyone!

Romantic, homey Sicilian restaurant in Richmond at a really good price. Loved it!…read more I went by myself so couldn't get too many dishes but I really enjoyed the ambiance. There's some outdoor seating, the music is very Italian and the manager or owner who takes your order is also Italian (giving the restaurant a more authentic feel!) The restaurant was packed on a Monday night at 9:30pm. I was lucky to be able to get a table. I ordered the fried calimari, spaghetti with garlic/cherry tomatoes/chilli, and the tiramisu. All delicious and the pasta was al dente! (I hate it when pasta is not al dente...). Can't wait to go back when I visit Richmond again.

Found this place with Tastecard, there were four of us and everything on the menu except specials…read moreand drinks were 50%. The calamari fritti was really delicious! It tasted fresh and was piping hot. Spaghetti Scoglio was yummy, the spaghetti cooked just right and the seafood plentiful. The veal Saltimbocca was flavorful along with the potatoes. I knocked off one star because while the portions were filling, they are not huge and the prices were a bit high without Tastecard. That said, with the Tastecard i felt we got a really good deal and definitely would return with it. The tables surrounding us were all Italian, so that was a good sign. I don't know why some reviews elsewhere say the service is shoddy, we had a really friendly server that was prompt and did her job without being overwhelming.

I always find it hard to rate Italian restaurants because: 1. I always feel I can make the same…read morething at home for 1/4 of the price and 2. I never go to them because of 1. However, last night it was raining, I was hungry and I had to wee. We walked past this place and it looked so cute and homey that we decided to stop in and give it a go. For starters we had the garlic bread and the tricolore salad. The garlic bread was very large and crunchy and garlicy. The tricolore salad was a bit of a disappointment. There were only 2 slices of mozzerella cheese and 3 slices of tomato. The avocado and the light pesto drizzled were nice, but for the price of the salad I was hoping for more than a half a plate of lettuce. I got the daily special - chicken cacciatore (sp?!) which was three large chicken drumsticks covered in a really nice marinara sauce with a cup of risotto on the side. The sauce was very nice and the chicken was very tender. The other half got the seafood spaghetti. There was LOADS of fish and squid and assorted seafood in the spaghetti. The sauce had a little bit of kick as well. The food was nice, but it wasn't amazing. Again, it was dishes which I felt I could have made at home. However the people were very nice and the place is very cute.

Went here for team lunch. A colleague had commented that service was super slow the last time. We…read morethought it was a one off event. Turns out we were wrong. Starters and mains took a total of 2 hours to arrive. And this was with a one third full restaurant. The manager at least offered to take the service charge off the bill, but for a casual quick dining restaurant the service level was unforgiveable. Food itself is not bad, the pizzas are good and I can also recommend the burrata starter.

1. They deliver through Uber Eats (which is how we found them on)…read more2. They offer vegan cheese/vegan options are clearly marked 3. Allergen information is clearly noted (we have a child with a severe egg allergy and the hostess was able to confirm no egg in the pizza crust) 4. The pizza crust is thin but fluffy 5. They appear to be a chain

Its been some time since we've been here - for obvious reasons…read more A Thursday - and yes, its tube stroke day...ah well, the walking does you good! helps with the digestion It was virtually empty, not at all the bustling place it usually is...so in a way that was nice...we had a good table at the back...service very good, food as good as ever...yummy lemon cheesecake to finish Having been good with a Montepulciano...just the 50cl...I then blew it when I asked about the grappa...the ordinary or the best...I asked for a single, they gave me a double and then topped it up...a hazy day was had by all after that...one thing, its not chilled, but they will chill it, so ask for that in advance Nice to be back

Excellent experience. Great service. Good wine selections and excellent food. We enjoyed our meal…read morehere.

Lovely! The people are always nice. We've eaten in and also ordered take-away. Both times we've had…read morethe pizza and bruschetta and both are wonderful. The bruschetta is always fresh and bread is crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. Service is great!

It a nice place to enjoy Italian pizza .. Truly made in Italy .. I ordered margarita pizza ,chicken…read moresalads and chips ... It taste ready delicious .. Service is good at taking order but receiving my order take time .. All in all , staff are friendly and lovely ( enjoy every slice of pizza )